New calculations of Year 10 to Year 12 apparent retention rates of secondary school students confirm that, after reaching Year 10, male students leave school in larger numbers than female students, according to an Australian Bureau of Statistics report released today.

This new calculation shows a national apparent retention rate (Year 10 to Year 12) of 74.1% in 1998, down slightly from 74.5% in 1997, with the apparent retention rate for males at 68.9% compared to 79.4% for females.

This publication is the first in the Schools Australia series to show apparent retention rates from Year 10 to Year 12. It includes a time series back to 1993, when the national rate was 77.5% overall, or 73.2% for males and 81.9% for females.

The national apparent retention rate under the traditional measure (from the commencement of secondary schooling, Years7/8, to Year 12) in 1998 also fell slightly from 71.8% to 71.6% (65.9% for males and 77.7% for females). This continued a downward trend from an overall 76.6% in 1993 when the rate for males was 71.9% and 81.4% for females.

The report also presents final results of the 1998 National Schools Census showing that Australia had 9,587 schools, 73% of them government schools and 27% non-government. The number of government schools was down by 31 from 1997 due to amalgamations and closures, while the number of non-government schools increased by nine.

The number of full time students attending government schools in 1998 increased by 0.4% from 1997 to 2,239,000, while the number attending non-government schools increased by 1.9% to 959,000.

Details are in Schools Australia, 1998 (cat. no. 4221.0) available from ABS bookshops. Main features of the publication are available from this site.

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